This Device Uses Sunlight and Water to Produce Hydrogen

Over time scientists tried their best to find efficient methods of producing hydrogen from water. They also wanted to enable hydrogen’s potential as a clean fuel. With a little bit of luck and hard work, they’re now closer than ever to achieve that idea.

They only needed to turn sunlight into a power source and use some effective processes, like catalytic electrodes and perovskite solar cells blended in a single unit. Such a contraption can strike some sunlight to hydrogen rates of approximately 6.7 %. And it just falls into water, and away it goes (the Sun must be out).

New Way of Producing Hydrogen From Water and Sunlight

It is probably too soon to start turning all the cars to take zero-emission hydrogen fuel cells. But, it wouldn’t be impossible, according to the researchers who developed a new technique. They believed that it should be relatively easy to scale up the technology for broader use. The concept is somehow similar to an artificial leaf.

And as scientist Jun Lou explained: “What we have is an integrated module that turns sunlight into electricity that drives an electrochemical reaction; it needs water and sunlight to chemical fuels.” Perovskite is one of the main stuff of the solar power industry. It could bring better results than silicon solar panels if fastened accurately. Now, it has been used to power a catalyst to divide water into oxygen and hydrogen. Notably, the device doesn’t cost a fortune to develop.

The device works flawlessly thanks to the encapsulation method it utilizes. Scientists added a polymer film, too, around the perovskite, shielding it from any damage if sunk in water. So, while protecting the solar cell, the polymer lets the sunlight through and works as an insulator between the electrodes and the cells.

Developments in this encapsulation and the solar cell efficiency should be made with more research. Further, down the line, the device could provide a self-sustaining source of energy, besides the hydrogen it produces. We could use the stored energy in the form of chemical fuel, even if there’s no sunlight.